Dopamine has been reported to be useful in treating congestive heart failure and shock. In addition, certain amino acids of dopamine have been found useful as renal vasodilators and antihypertensive agents. (For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,492.) However, compounds disclosed in the just-mentioned patent and others which are used as renal vasodilators have the drawback that they also produce undesirable systemic hemodynamic changes.
It would be a distinct advance in the art if a compound could be discovered which has utility as a renal vasodilator but which does not also produce systemic hemodynamic changes such as increase in arterial blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular systolic pressure, etc.